Text by Nicole Clark
Outside Lands is San Francisco’s largest music festival; no small feat, given the festival’s relative youth. The amount of musical talent can make it difficult to check out the potpourri of other entertainment that bespeckles the weekend. We’ve rounded up what you might otherwise miss, to make it easier to find.
Not featured: Winelands and Beerlands. We assume if you are looking to get drunk, you already know how to get there. We also didn’t capture The Barbary, because the event is ticketed and we did not want to disrupt the talent once we had entered, but this comedy and improv stage is heavily underrated. Sample act: if you like the Bachelor or are a fan of Criminal Minds, you won’t want to miss The Barbary’s riff “Will You Accept this Rose?” featuring Pagest Brewster, aka Special Agent Emily Prentiss.
Outside Lands features one of the largest food truck gatherings in San Francisco. These offerings are no secret, but some of the must eat items are tucked in less traveled areas. The frozen custard and boba stands, with the muralist roofing, are situated near the Pandhandle Stage. The Loving Cup booth and the Del Popolo woodfire oven pizza (you can see the full set up inside) are on thoroughfares between stages. They’re also solid options for catching a snack with a shorter line.
It isn’t difficult to find gluten free or dairy free options, but the combination can be tricky to find. For those of you who are intolerant to both, the tamales and pozole from Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas along with the sausages by Itani Ramen are good choices.* Both are pictured above.
Is it Outside Lands if “land” is not part of the title? Baconland is next to Gastro Magic, near the center of the Outside Lands map.
In Chocolands, situated between Land’s End and the Panhandle stages (in McLaren Pass) you can get S’mores, hot chocolate and cookies — among other delicacies. You can also watch chocolate being made.
And would it be San Francisco without a rock wall? This monument to #branding is near the Twin Peaks stage. It’s actually pretty fun.
The Gastro Magic stage features a mix of food and comedy. You can find it on the far caddy corner to Land’s End stage, past Marx Meadow. Chefs from Kogi, State Bird Provisions and Marlowe will all be there. Also, Action Bronson will putting on a show. ‘Nuff said.
*Note: I can’t guarantee they’ve been prepared in an allergen safe prep space, so be sure to ask them in person.
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.
